Not the Great Emancipator: 10 Racist Quotes Abraham Lincoln Said About Black People

The history books often declare that President Abraham Lincoln saw the Civil War as an opportunity to bring about justice and free the millions of Black slaves in the South. Yet, this is hardly the case. In March of 1861, Lincoln rendered the following words: “The War is waged by the government of the United States not in the spirit of conquest or subjugation, nor for the purpose of overthrowing or interfering with the rights or institutions of the states, but to defend and protect the Union.”

The Freeing of Black Slaves and Lincoln’s Thoughts

Lincoln did eventually advocate emancipation. However, he did so to preserve the Union, and not to render a moral decision. He once wrote, “My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or destroy slavery.”